


Dutch's Boys

by Consulting_Tiger



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-01 23:59:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16775542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Consulting_Tiger/pseuds/Consulting_Tiger
Summary: A series of (loosely) connected one-shots mostly showcasing the brotherly relationship between Arthur and John. Though, it generally just focuses on the familial relationships amongst the gang.I just finished the game and found that I needed these, so I thought others might enjoy them too.





	Dutch's Boys

Ever since John had been picked up by Dutch in 1885, Arthur had kind of taken the kid under his wing, as he became a sort of little brother to him. He liked the kid. He had been twenty-two when Dutch and Hosea had showed up with a twelve year old John and had informed him that the kid would be traveling with them from now on. It kind of reminded him of when they had found Arthur himself, as he had been only fifteen when he had met Dutch. He had been in some little mountain town, trying his hardest to steal what he could in order to get himself some food, and just so happened to try stealing something off of Dutch.  
He had been sitting on the steps of the town's saloon when he had seen Dutch and Hosea walk in. His eyes had immediately gravitated toward Dutch's pistol- it was the most beautiful weapon he had ever seen and he immediately wanted it for himself. He had slipped into the saloon after the two men and crept over to the bar where they sat, waiting until they were distracted before slipping the pistol carefully out of its holster. Now, many people over the years had tried to steal from Dutch, but Arthur was the first to ever actually succeed. Granted, it didn't go unnoticed for very long, as Dutch quickly realized that the weapon was missing. He turned around just as Arthur was bolting from the saloon. He and Hosea chased after the boy and eventually caught up to him in an alley behind the gunsmith. Dutch had a way with words and, within the hour, had convinced Arthur not to shoot him with the very gun he had just stolen out of Dutch's holster. The three of them ended up returning to the saloon, the gun still clutched protectively in Arthur's hands. Arthur didn't know what to think of these two men- he had just stolen from them, so why were they being so nice? Most people he stole from just immediately tried shooting him or dragged him to the nearest lawman. These two, on the other hand, had taken him back to the saloon for a meal and a chat.  
"What's your name son?" Dutch had asked, sipping from his glass of whiskey. He liked this kid- he had potential.  
"Arthur." The kid answered simply, not trusting this man just yet. He had a hard time trusting men he didn't know- something he blamed partly on his own father. 

By the end of the night, the stolen gun had been returned to its original owner and the trio was headed back to the gang's current hideout with Arthur riding on the back of Dutch's horse. After talking with them for quite some time, Arthur had come around, finding that Hosea and Dutch were both much like him. They wanted to live free and only harmed people when it was strictly necessary rather than for fun like many other gangs Arthur had heard of did. 

Over the years, Hosea and Dutch became like surrogate fathers to Arthur. Dutch taught him how to read, Hosea taught him how to fish, and they both helped him to learn how to perfect his shooting and hunting skills. Though it was quickly discovered by the pair that Arthur had something special when it came to shooting, even from a young a young age. At the age of eighteen, Dutch took Arthur out for a ride in the middle of the night that concluded when they reached a little ranch. Dutch and Arthur stopped on a hill overlooking the ranch, pulling out their binoculars to get a better look. Dutch had brought Arthur here to pick out a horse- his first personal horse. For the three years that Arthur had been traveling with the gang, he had been borrowing the gang's spare hoses- usually the ones that pulled their wagons when they weren't stationary. He had tried to let Arthur take The Count out once, but that didn't turn out too well. The Count liked Arthur okay, but he had never let anyone other that Dutch actually ride him and likely never would. But now that he was better at riding, Dutch had decided it was time to get him his own horse.  
After looking at the horses for quite a while, Arthur locked onto one- a female silver dapple Missouri Fox Trotter. He headed down on foot and hopped the fence, approaching her slowly.  
"Hey, girl. It's okay." He whispered, reaching out to stroke her neck softly. This was the one- he could feel it somehow. He decided to trust his gut and jumped on, tangling his hands in her hair as he gave her a gentle kick. She trotted right over to the fence and hopped over like it was nothing, racing right up to Dutch like she knew the man. This was Arthur's horse. His Boadicea. She would carry him through so many 'battles' and would get him away from many, many lawmen. She would be his partner in crime until 1899 when they were trying to flee Blackwater. They had almost made it out when she took a bullet to the left flank and began limping. She carried him out of the thick of it before going down, breathing heavily. Arthur knew there was nothing more he could do for her besides ending her suffering as quickly as possible. He stroked her mane one final time and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Goodbye, old girl. Thank you." He murmured, looking away as he fired the bullet. Hosea pulled up alongside him and helped him onto Silver Dollar before chasing after the rest of the fleeing Van der Linde gang.


End file.
